EMBRYO & STEM CELL DEVELOPMENT (ESCD)
PROJECT

read about the Research Team

Word of Appreciation

The University
of Stellenbosch and the Department of Animal Sciences are greatly indebted to
Mr. Mark Shuttleworth for this unprecedented opportunity to do valuable research
under zero gravity conditions. We thank him for his cooperation and
financial assistance in our endeavour to try and find answers to scientific
questions that might play a major role in the future of the animal kingdom on
this planet.

Scientific Questions to be addressed

In the field of regenerative health treatment, stem cells
might become the answer to many debilitating and life-threatening conditions and
diseases. Stem cells are the most primitive of all body cells, and are
present in the embryo and foetus, the earliest form of life during the first few
weeks after fertilization of the female reproductive egg. Because these
stem cells are totally undifferentiated, it means that they have the potential
(blue print) to develop to any other body cell under certain conditions.
Could they be the answer to diabetes when they are injected into the pancreas of
a diabetic? Could they cure paralysis when they are injected into the
spinal cord of a paraplegic? We do not presently have answers to these
questions, but might discover the full potential of stem cells within the next
decade. For the time being, however, we must find optimal conditions for
the production of stem cells. If we take into consideration that the
foetus develops in a bag of water (the amniotic sac), which brings the effect of
the earth’s gravity down to about one-fifth (an object weighs about one-fifth
of its normal mass when in water), it might be that stem cells in a test tube
will develop better and faster under conditions of zero gravity, as exists in
outer space.

This space
project might tell us if stem cells grow three dimensionally (to form for
example an organ) in space, as compared to only in two dimensions (in a flat
plane) in a laboratory on earth. The project will also tell us if a zero
gravity condition is beneficial to cell growth and development, or if it will
slow down multiplication? Will zero gravity change the potential of the stem
cell to change into another cell?

Will it alter
the appearance and composition of the cell?

The early stages of life (the first seven days after
fertilization) are free-living, and are not in a fluid filled bag. This
means that the early stage of embryonic development is exposed to the earth’s
full gravitational force. Will zero gravity conditions, as occurs in outer
space, therefore be detrimental to very early life, or maybe also stimulate
embryonic growth as would be the case in sea mammals? In the distant
future human and animal conception and embryonic and foetal growth might occur
in outer space. It would then be crucial to know if the lack of gravity in
such a space journey would harm the development of the foetus in the uterus.

Future Prospects

This ESCD
project during Mr. Shuttleworth’s space journey might just be the humble
beginning of future research programs in reproduction under zero gravity
conditions. It might lead to prospective cooperative research projects
with other institutions, and create further research opportunities for
postgraduate students at this university.

If zero
gravity, as found in outer space, is beneficial to reproduction, cell growth and
fertility, conditions of minimal gravity can be created on earth to benefit the
animal kingdom, including childless couples, endangered species and valuable
animals.

Potential impact of the study and benefits to South
Africa

Stem (primitive) cell research as replacement therapy for
diseased and damaged body cells holds the key to the cure or alleviation of
conditions like spinal cord and brain damage, diabetes, genetic diseases,
cancer, damaged heart cells and many others. Stem cells, as the most
primitive and undifferentiated of all the body cells, have the ability, under
certain conditions, to develop to any other body cell. Stem cells can
therefore play a major role in preventative and curative health programs for
future generations, because they can replace damaged body cells. Finding optimal
conditions for the culture and development of stem cells will therefore become
increasingly more important. If zero gravity proves to be beneficial to
the development of stem cells, micro-gravity conditions for stem cell growth and
differentiation can be established. This can also put South Africa on the
forefront of stem cell research in the world today.

The Gamete-SA
project also deals with the development of animal embryos from a very early
stage until after hatching of the embryo from its zona pellucida (surrounding
capsule) in vitro (in an incubator). As space programs progress, we might
get to the point where human fertilisation takes place under zero gravity
conditions, or after conception on earth, early embryonic development will take
place in space. This project will give us a very good insight into early
embryonic development under conditions of zero gravity. Will it speed up
or slow down development? Will it be detrimental to cell growth?
Will it supply answers to the large offspring syndrome (LOS) found in cloned
animals, where the embryo is also cultured for seven days before transfer to a
surrogate that will carry it to term?

We see the
opportunity of the space research project as the ideal opportunity to conduct
experiments that might give us answers to embryonic developmental problems in
animals and man. Can zero gravity conditions possibly be the answer for
embryonic (during development in the uterus) and congenital (at birth)
aberrations found in mammals? The development of the embryo and foetus
under conditions of zero gravity (compared to lowered gravity in the uterus)
might give us answers to foetal developmental problems that influence so many
newborn children and families in South Africa. By following embryonic and
foetal development under conditions of micro/zero gravity, we might be able to
explain why certain congenital abnormalities develop during the growth of the
foetus in the uterus.

It might also
play a role in the existence of endangered species. If somatic (body) and
stem (undifferentiated) cells grow better under zero gravity conditions, scarce
and valuable body cells from endangered wildlife species can be grown in a
culture medium, stored and cloned under micro-gravity conditions in future to
ensure the survival of many endangered species in our country. This can
play a crucial role in the eco-tourism industry of South Africa.

The project
will be crucial for student training. Conditions of total weightless are
impossible to create on earth. The space program is an unprecedented
opportunity to do valuable research under zero gravity condition in a field of
extreme importance for the future of the human race on earth. Regenerative
tissue and genetically changed organ transplants will play a big role in future
health treatments. This experiment might supply conditions and solutions
to improve our understanding and techniques of stem cell development in the
laboratory, information of major importance for further study of our post
graduate students.

Scientific data
of an international standard will be generated from this experiment. It
will be published in a scientific journal of repute. It will also place the
University of Stellenbosch amongst the leaders in stem cell research in the
world today.